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Sunday Update
– We’ve got two weekend shows up today. Garrett Gonzales and I talked Iron Sheik and the latest news on our weekly show. Bryan and I did a show last night talking UFC with Ryan Frederick followed by Smackdown, G1 and other notes.
– We’re looking for your thoughts on Friday’s All Together Again show, so you can leave a thumbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected].
–A couple of notes off last night’s WOR:
Pro wrestlers are exempt from needing visas to appear in Canada. Even though no Stardom talent has Canadian visas, that’s not apparently an issue with appearing at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2 although Stardom was of the belief it was, but have since found out that wasn’t the case. That said, all the Stardom key talent is booked on a PPV in Japan the same day as Forbidden Door. There have been no talks with AEW that had even reached management as of yesterday with regard to talent at Forbidden Door. Nobody is scheduled at this point and they are of the belief nobody will be scheduled this late in the game. At this point, only four or five wrestlers have U.S. visas and with what we have seen with so much of the Mexican and U.K. talent, it’s a time consuming process to get working visas these days.
When I was talking about the AEW wrestler that Stardom wanted to have on the January 4th Tokyo Dome show that never happened, I was referring to Kris Statlander. The call was made long before the show and before Statlander’s injury.
Also, because I had been gone all day due to my daughter performing in two shows out of town, I wasn’t aware that they changed the rules for NJPW G1 yesterday where it will bee the top two finishers in each block making the playoffs, which will involve eight of the 32 wrestlers on the last three shows. I thought it would be like last year where only the block winners make the playoffs. It opens up for more possibilities and allows for most of the really top guys to make the final eight.
– We have heard raves from a number of people regarding today’s Stardom match from Osaka with Queen’s Quest vs. Oedo Tai which was the main event from the show in an elimination match with Natsuko Tora & Momo Watanabe & Starlight Kid & Saki Kashima & Ruaka vs. Utami Hayashishita & Saya Kamitani & AZM & Lady C & Miyu Amasaki.
– NJPW has teased the idea of Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Gabriel Kidd & Alex Coughlin for two matches on 7/4 and 7/5. One will be for the IWGP tag titles and one will be for the New Japan Strong tag titles.
– I also want to thank people for their comments on the Iron Sheik bio in the current Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Also, we had a correction that should be soon updated in the story on the longest world title reigns in pro wrestling history.
.–Best wishes to former TNA star Matt Morgan who is undergoing back surgery tomorrow morning. He said he’s in the worst pain of his life right now and can’t take painkillers because he had addiction issues in his WWE career. He said an epidural and a nerve block injection didn’t help and his left foot has gotten more numb. He was told without surgery he would lose feeling in his left foot. He was first talked to about this surgery in 2010 but wanted to avoid it and was pain-free for years after his career ended in 2014.
– As far as Google trends for the week, Amanda Nunes’ retirement after retaining the UFC bantamweight title had 500,000 searches for No. 2 behind the death of the Unabomber on the U.S. Internet for yesterday. Conor McGregor was No. 5, Beneil Dariush was No. 10 and the Teofimo Lopez vs Josh Taylor boxing match was No. 12. 500,000 is very low for a UFC PPV but they’ve changed some of their methodology. Still, it’s not a good sign for PPV numbers but not as bad as it would have been a few months ago. The only other thing this past week to crack the top 20 in wrestling, boxing or MMA was the death of the Iron Sheik which was No. 4 on Wednesday at 200,000.
WWE
– Roman Reigns will work this Saturday’s Cincinatti WWE house show in a title defense against Rey Mysterio.
– This coming Sunday in Charleston, WV, they announced a special Father’s Day street fight with Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio to go along with Seth Rollins vs. Miz for the World title, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. Viking Raiders for the tag titles, and Gunther vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Matt Riddle for the IC title.
– On A&E tonight at 9 p.m., Most Wanted Treasures features Roddy Piper, Drew McIntyre, Mick Foley and Lita looking for Roddy Piper memorabilia and at 10 p.m. is Stone Cold Takes on America,.
– WWE applied for a trademark for the term Meta-Four, so that’s likely the name of a new group.
AEW
– The Adam Cole/MJF promo segment Wednesday was greatly taken from this Adam Cole/Karrion Kross segment on NXT television. It’s notable that Cole was in the role saying the same phrases about Kross that MJF said about Cole in the recent promo.(thanks to Mike Marquardt)
– The first day ticket sales for AEW Collision in Greenville SC, on 8/5 was 1,399. Aside from Chicago this Saturday that is strong, and Newark, NJ, which is okay, the advances for the show, even with it being on Saturdays, aren’t good.
– RJ City interviewed Skye Blue who said that when she was a kid, she got kicked out of church for setting somebody on fire.
UFC
– Jon Jones said on Saturday that he would be open to do a boxing match with Tyson Fury. I still don’t see this happening because even though it could make Jones a lot of money, I don’t know if UFC would allow its top champion to go into a fight he’s almost certain to lose.
– On Friday when Conor McGregor punched the Miami Heat mascot Burnie twice, apparently the blow after the fake knockout, on the ground, was too stuff and the man in the costume ended up in the emergency room that night. He’s okay now. Dana White was asked about it last night and reacted like why would a mascot ask McGregor or Deontay Wilder to hit them and blamed it on the mascot. The reality is in doing a skit, McGregor, even though not trained in working punches, should be able to throw a punch and not hurt a guy.
Other Wrestling
– A horse named Big Boss Man won at Evangelina Downs in Louisiana as a 12-1 underdog on Saturday.
– The Daily Mail ran a story about old-time UK wrestling and Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks. They ran with the Jackie Pallo vs. Mick McManus match in 1963 drawing 16 million viewers, but did say it was reputed. Stories from 1963 actually listed the number as 11 million, which is still exceptional. (thanks to James Stanios)
– Gable Steveson defeated Mason Parris 6-2 and 5-0 in straight bouts in the 275 pound weight class in freestyle last night at Final X at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, to represent the U.S. in the world championships in September. Steveson teased the crowd after his second win, before doing a running backflip which is something for a guy of his size. Parris is also under a WWE deal as an NIL wrestler while Steveson is under a multi-year full-time contract. Steveson dominated both bouts but not as much as when he ran through Parris a few weeks ago in the national tournament. Another NIL signee, Cohlton Schultz, will represent the U.S. at 286 in Greco-roma wrestling, after beating Adam Coon 3-2 and 5-1.
–The heavily anticipated Kyle Snyder vs. J’den Cox best of three series at Final X for the 213 pound spot never happened. Cox made weight, but later was on crutches before the start of the event and he didn’t show up and forfeited his bouts to Snyder. Snyder will represent the U.S. at 213 in this year’s wold championships.
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer discussed Jon Jones’ dominant win at UFC 285.
On Sunday morning’s show, Alvarez and Meltzer talked about Jones’ win over Ciryl Gane, winning the heavyweight title at two minutes into the first round. After the match, Jones seemingly accepted a future match against former champion Stipe Miocic. However, Meltzer didn’t feel that excited about a possible match between the two.
“This heavyweight division isn’t good,” Meltzer said. “Stipe…I think Stipe is old…don’t do that fight,” Meltzer said. “The last time Stipe fought, he didn’t do anything.”
After the show was over, Stipe Miocic was interviewed. He didn’t have much to say other than he accepted the fight for International Fight Week, which takes place in July.
“Talk about selling not one pay-per-view,” Alvarez said. “They’re begging him to say something, to pull anything out of him. He had nothing to say.”
Neither Alvarez or Meltzer thought that Miocic has a shot against Jones, but Meltzer did add that Jones could have a hard time against Miocic on the ground.
“The thing with Stipe though is that he’s a real wrestler,” Meltzer said. “I’m not saying Jon can’t out wrestle him, but it won’t be a piece of cake…Stipe’s old now, so that changes the dynamic.”
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer discussed Jon Jones’ dominant win at UFC 285.
On Sunday morning’s show, Alvarez and Meltzer talked about Jones’ win over Ciryl Gane, winning the heavyweight title at two minutes into the first round. After the match, Jones seemingly accepted a future match against former champion Stipe Miocic. However, Meltzer didn’t feel that excited about a possible match between the two.
“This heavyweight division isn’t good,” Meltzer said. “Stipe…I think Stipe is old…don’t do that fight,” Meltzer said. “The last time Stipe fought, he didn’t do anything.”
After the show was over, Stipe Miocic was interviewed. He didn’t have much to say other than he accepted the fight for International Fight Week, which takes place in July.
“Talk about selling not one pay-per-view,” Alvarez said. “They’re begging him to say something, to pull anything out of him. He had nothing to say.”
Neither Alvarez or Meltzer thought that Miocic has a shot against Jones, but Meltzer did add that Jones could have a hard time against Miocic on the ground.
“The thing with Stipe though is that he’s a real wrestler,” Meltzer said. “I’m not saying Jon can’t out wrestle him, but it won’t be a piece of cake…Stipe’s old now, so that changes the dynamic.”
Two new champions were crowned at Saturday’s UFC 285.
Jon Jones defeated Ciryl Gane to win the UFC heavyweight title for the first time, submitting Gane in 2:00 of the first round with a guillotine. During his post-fight interview, he called out Stipe Miocic. Joe Rogan during the interview threw out International Fight Week in July as a possible date for the fight.
Saturday was Jones’ first fight since February 8, 2020 when he defeated Dominick Reyes by unanimous decision. It was also his debut in the heavyweight division, as he has spent most of his career as a light heavyweight.
Valentina Schevchenko, meanwhile, was dethroned by Alexa Grosso at 4:34 of round 4. The finish of that fight had Schevchenko miss a spinning kick, which allowed Grosso to jump on Schevchenko’s back, locking in a choke. Schevchenko submitted, making Grosso the new UFC flyweight champion. Schevchenko’s loss on Saturday was her first since 2017.
Schevchenko had been champion since UFC 231 on December 8, 2018, defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane, emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Octagon is back in the T-Mobile Arena with a massive card, featuring two title fights and the long-awaited return of arguably the greatest fighter in UFC history.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones returns to action after a three-year absence as he looks to add another title to his storied history when he takes on Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship. The title became vacant following Francis Ngannou’s exit from the UFC after he was unable to come to terms on a new contract. Jones hasn’t fought since UFC 247 in February 2020, while Gane, a former interim heavyweight champion, is coming off a win over Tai Tuivasa in September.
In the co-main event, it is a second title fight as long-time UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko makes her eighth title defense against challenger Alexa Grasso. Shevchenko is coming off her closest battle to date, as she retained the title in a split decision over Taila Santos in June, her ninth straight win. Grasso comes into her title challenge riding a four-fight win streak, which have all come since moving up to the flyweight division.
The rest of the main card is filled with exciting match-ups. Welterweights Geoff Neal and Shavkat Rakhmonov square off in a battle of potential title challengers, Mateusz Gamrot takes a short-notice opportunity against Jalin Turner in a lightweight fight, and highly-touted prospect Bo Nickal makes his UFC debut against Jamie Pickett in a middleweight bout.
The prelims are loaded with a lot of notable names. Among those on the prelim card include former UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt, Derek Brunson, Viviane Araujo, Jessica Penne, Amanda Ribas, and rising prospects Dricus Du Plessis, Ian Garry and Cameron Saaiman.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 5:30 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
Radzhabov rocks Ribovics with a right hand right away and scores a takedown. They get to their feet and Radzhabov is on the neck but they break. Ribovics lands a left hand. Radzhabov lands another hard right hand. Radzhabov scores another takedown. Ribovics looks for an arm. They break to their feet. Ribovics with a leg kick. They trade jabs. Radzhabov scores another takedown against the fence. Radzhabov looking for the back but now gets to the half-guard. Radzhabov takes the back and they stand. Ribovics still looking for the arm for a kimura but Radzhabov takes him back down. They scramble up. They trade late. 10-9 Radzhabov.
Ribovics lands a solid combo to start the second then Radzhabov gets a brief takedown. They’re clinched against the fence but Radzhabov gets it back down and is in the half-guard. Radzhabov is looking to set up an arm-triangle choke. They scramble to their feet. Ribovics lands a left hook. They trade punches and Radzhabov lands a right hand. Radzhabov lands an uppercut. Radzhabov gets it back down. They get up and Radzhabov briefly gets it down but they separate. Ribovics with a left hand. Ribovics hurts Radzhabov to the body and drops Radzhabov with a right hand. Radzhabov trying for the leg as he gets to the feet. They break and Ribovics lands late. 10-9 Ribovics, 19-19.
Ribovics starts with a combo. Radzhabov rocks Ribovics with a right hand. He lands a left hook then a knee to the body. Radzhabov rocks Ribovics with a right hand again. Radzhabov lands a few punches. Ribovics with a leg kick. Radzhabov gets a takedown. Ribovics looking for a kimura and is looking to take the back. Ribovics has the body triangle and moves to the mount. Radzhabov is able to hip escape to the feet and takes Ribovics right back down. They stand and Radzhabov with another takedown and he’s in side control. They stand. They scramble to the mat for a moment before separating on the feet. Both guys land and Ribovics lands a hard left hook and Radzhabov gets a takedown. They stand and break. They trade punches. They clinch at the end. Good fight. 10-9 Radzhabov, 29-28 Radzhabov.
Official Result- Loik Radzhabov def. Esteban Ribovics by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
They trade leg kicks. Basharat lands to the body and Blackshear counters with a combo. Basharat with a leg kick. Blackshear looking for the takedown as he has a single leg. Basharat lands a combo against the fence. They trade kicks. They’re trading punches inside the pocket. Basharat looks for the takedown and gets it. Basharat looking for a set-up for an arm-triangle choke. Basharat in side control. They get to their feet and break. Blackshear with a leg kick. Blackshear with a jump kick late. 10-9 Basharat.
Blackshear with a leg kick and they start trading jabs. They both land kicks. Blackshear gets a brief takedown but they get up and clinch against the fence. Basharat with a leg kick and Blackshear lands a right hand. Blackshear with a body kick. Blackshear gets it down as he has the back and he has a leg trapped. Blackshear with some elbows from the top. They get to their feet. Basharat gets a takedown. Basharat gets in the guard of Blackshear. Basharat landing from the top. 10-9 Basharat, 20-18 Basharat.
Blackshear landing to start the third as he’s mixing his punches and kicks. They clinch and Blackshear with a knee. Basharat gets a takedown and is in the half-guard against the fence. Basharat landing left hands from the top. They scramble to their feet. Basharat with a combo. Blackshear lands a nice left. Basharat lands some jabs. Blackshear with an inside leg kick and shoots for a takedown but Basharat defends. Basharat ends up on top and is landing. Blackshear locks in a triangle choke late and looked for the armbar but time runs out. 10-9 Basharat, 30-27 Basharat.
Official Result- Farid Basharat def. Da’Mon Blackshear by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ricci gets an immediate takedown. Ricci stands and lands some low kicks. Penne tries to get up and Ricci grabs the neck as they stand. Ricci with a combo. Ricci with a front kick. Ricci gets a takedown. Penne goes for a leg but Ricci stands to escape and lands some low kicks as Penne is on her back. Ricci sprawls as Penne goes for a takedown and they clinch against the fence. Ricci gets it back down. Ricci landing punches and elbows from the top. Ricci stands and lands some more kicks and lands a high kick as Penne stands. 10-9 Ricci.
Ricci lands a combo. Ricci landing punches and kicks. Penne has a cut opened by her left eye. Ricci gets a big throw takedown. Ricci landing leg kicks on her feet while Penne is on her back. Ricci then goes back to the mat and quickly transitions to grabbing the arm. Ricci locks in an armbar and gets Penne to tap. Great showing from Ricci.
Official Result- Tabatha Ricci def. Jessica Penne by submission (armbar) at 2:14 of Round 2
> Bantamweights*- Mana Martinez (10-3, 2-1 UFC) vs. Cameron Saaiman (7-0, 1-0 UFC)
*Martinez missed weight by one pound
Martinez lands a quick combo. Saaiman landing some kicks. Saaiman lands a right hand. Martinez with a combo. Saaiman with a few kicks. Saaiman with a leg kick. Saaiman lands a left hand. They’re trading and we have a timeout for a groin kick by Saaiman. Saaiman with some hard body kicks as they return to action. We have another groin strike by Saaiman. Saaiman gets a point taken away. They get back to work. Martinez with a combo and Saaiman lands a left hand. Saaiman with another hard left hand and some leg kicks. Martinez lands a left hand. They trade punches and Saaiman lands some body kicks and a left hand. 9-9 round with the point deduction.
Saaiman with a hard body kick. They trade leg kicks. Saaiman with more hard body kicks. Saaiman with some hard punches and kicks and Martinez fires back a combination. They trade punches and Saaiman drops Martinez with a jab. Saaiman gets on top and is in the full guard and lands some punches and elbows. Saaiman with some elbows from the top. He gets up and lands some kicks. 10-9 Saaiman, 19-18 Saaiman.
Saaiman with a body kick and follows with some left hands. He lands a leg kick. They trade kicks. They trade punches. They trade inside the pocket and Saaiman with a body kick. We have another timeout, this time for an eye poke by Saaiman. They get back to action. Saaiman lands a left hand and Martinez with a right hand. They trade kicks. Martinez lands a left hand. Martinez lands and Saaiman scores a takedown. Saaiman with some right hands from the top. Saaiman with some big elbows from the top. Saaiman with punches from the top and continues to land. They get to their feet and trade late. 10-9 Saaiman, 29-27 Saaiman.
Official Result- Cameron Saaiman def. Mana Martinez by majority decision (29-26, 28-27, 28-28)
> Welterweights- Ian Garry (10-0, 3-0 UFC) vs. Song Kenan (16-6, 4-2 UFC)
They trade leg kicks. They trade leg kicks again and then Garry lands a combo. They go back to trading kicks. Garry with a hard leg kick then a body kick. Garry with more leg kicks and he starts working the jab. Garry with some front kicks. Kenan lands a leg kick. Kenan drops Garry with a big left hand and then grabs the back as they stand and he’s landing punches. They break and Garry with a leg kick. 10-9 Kenan.
Garry landing some kicks to start the second. Kenan with a side kick to the body. We have a timeout for a groin strike but they get right back to action. Garry lands a right hand. They trade body kicks. Kenan with a left hand. Garry with a snap jab and Kenan lands a body kick. Garry with a flurry of shots and lands a leg kick. Kenan barely misses a spin kick. Garry with a high kick. Garry with a left hand and then a right. Garry continues to land with more volume. 10-9 Garry, 19-19.
Garry with a good combination to start the third. Garry with some front kicks to the legs of Kenan. Kenan clips Garry with a left hand. They trade leg kicks. Garry continuing to land kicks. Garry pressuring and landing with more volume. Garry with a combo to the body. Garry landing the jab. Garry lands to the body but Kenan landed a left hook. Garry with a front kick to the body. Garry landing the jab and lands a big right hand and a knee to the body that hurt Kenan. Garry with a big combination and e drops Kenan and keeps landing and gets the late finish. Great stoppage by Garry.
Official Result- Ian Garry def. Song Kenan by TKO (strikes) at 4:22 of Round 3
They trade jabs and Marquez with a leg kick. Barriault lands a right hand. Marquez lands the jab. Barriault with a combo. Barriault lands a jab. Marquez lands a left hand. Marquez lands inside the pocket. Marquez with a combo and Barriault lands an uppercut. Marquez lands a pair of right hands. Marquez with a flurry and he tagged Barriault. Barriault lands a stiff jab. Marquez with a combo. Barriault with a body kick. Marquez with a combo. Barriault lands a right hand. Marquez lands a combo with a big right hand. 10-9 Marquez.
Barriault with a body kick. Marquez lands a combination. They trade inside the pocket as Barriault pressures Marquez to the fence. Barriault landing and Marquez has a cut opened under his eye. Marquez tries a takedown but Barriault defends and lands an elbow. They clinch and both land elbows before breaking. Marquez lands a left hand. Barriault lands a flurry and Marquez landed as he was coming in. Barriault landing against the fence and he’s landing lots of shots. Marquez loses his mouth piece. Marquez with a knee. Marquez is covered in blood. Barriault with lots of elbows against the fence. Barriault lands a knee. Uppercuts from Barriault and he lands a lot of left hands. It is stopped and Barriault gets the big finish. What a crazy round.
Official Result- Marc-Andre Barriault def. Julian Marquez by TKO (strikes) at 4:12 of Round 2
They trade right hands. Araujo lands a left hand. Ribas tries a takedown but Araujo grabbed the neck and locked in a guillotine choke. Ribas popped her head out and is now in the guard of Araujo and landing punches. Both looking for some sweeps on the mat. Both landing punches on the mat. They get to their feet and separate. They trade punches. Ribas with a spin kick and follows with a right hand. Araujo lands a nice right hand. They trade right hands. Araujo lands a right hand. 10-9 Ribas.
Ribas rocks Araujo to start the second and Araujo fell to the mat and Ribas takes advantage and lands more and gets on top. Ribas with shots from the top. Ribas is in the half-guard landing to the body as she’s pressuring. Ribas trying to improve position and trying to pass while landing from the top. Ribas in full control from the top and staying busy. Ribas with punches from the top. Araujo gives up her back and Ribas is trying to get the hooks in. She does as Araujo is trying to get out of bad position. 10-9 Ribas, 20-18 Ribas.
They’re trading jabs to start the third. Ribas with a nice combo. Both landing but Ribas landing with more volume here. Ribas lands a right hand. Ribas lands another right hand. They trade punches and Ribas lands a leg kick. Ribas with a spin kick to the body. Ribas with a head kick. Ribas being constantly busy while Araujo is looking for openings. Araujo lands a right hand. Ribas with a takedown. Araujo is looking to attack an armbar from the bottom. She might almost have it. Ribas with some knees to the legs. Ribas gets out and starts landing right hands from the top. Ribas with lots of activity from the top to end the fight. 10-9 Ribas, 30-27 Ribas.
Official Result- Amanda Ribas def. Viviane Araujo by unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)
> Middleweights- #5 Derek Brunson (23-8, 14-6 UFC) vs. #10 Dricus Du Plessis (18-2, 4-0 UFC)
They trade leg kicks. Du Plessis with some high kicks but Brunson grabs the leg and gets Du Plessis down. Brunson in side control. Brunson pressuring from the top as he goes to the half-guard. They stand and Brunson has the neck and he pulled guard but Du Plessis popped his head out and is now working from the top. Du Plessis stands and lands a big right hand as he goes back into the guard. Brunson looking for the leg and now both are looking for a leg lock. Brunson escapes and has the back. They stand and separate. Brunson with several big shots. Brunson lands a left hand and Du Plessis is in trouble. They go to the mat and Brunson gets the back. Brunson looking for a choke but has it over the chin. He lets go. Brunson back in half-guard and they get to their feet. 10-9 Brunson.
Brunson landing kicks to the body. Brunson with a body kick. Du Plessis rocks Brunson with a left hand. Du Plessis starting to land more. Du Plessis lands a solid combo. Du Plessis lands a hard right hand. Brunson trying hard for a takedown but Du Plessis is defending. Du Plessis with a right hand. Du Plessis with a combo. Du Plessis with a right hook to the body. Du Plessis rocks Brunson then Brunson rocks Du Plessis. Du Plessis tries a takedown and gets Brunson down for a moment. Du Plessis with a big right hand. Du Plessis lands a big left hand. Both men are very tired. Du Plessis lands a big right hand. Du Plessis with some big punches and Brunson falls down. Du Plessis gets on top and is landing punches. He stopped before landing and Brunson’s corner threw in the towel right before the horn sounded. What a comeback and finish from Du Plessis.
Official Result- Dricus Du Plessis def. Derek Brunson by TKO (corner stoppage) at 4:59 of Round 2
> Bantamweights- Cody Garbrandt (12-5, 7-5 UFC) vs. Trevin Jones (13-9 1 NC, 1-3 1 NC UFC)
Garbrandt with a body kick. Garbrandt with a leg kick. Garbrandt with another hard body kick. He lands another body kick. Garbrandt lands a right hand. Garbrandt with a right hand to the body. He lands a right hand. Garbrandt with another right hand to the body. They trade kicks. Garbrandt with a body kick. Garbrandt with a right hand. Jones lands a left hand. Garbrandt with a body kick. 10-9 Garbrandt.
Garbrandt lands a body kick and then gets a big takedown. They get to their feet and separate. Jones with a leg kick. Jones with a body kick. Garbrandt gets another big takedown. Garbrandt able to get the back of Jones and lands some right hands. Garbrandt trying to find a choke but it isn’t close. They break. Jones looks for a takedown against the fence. They remain in that position at the end. 10-9 Garbrandt, 20-18 Garbrandt.
Not much happening in the first minute of this round. Jones lands a leg kick. Jones with a body kick. Garbrandt just shuffling his feet but not playing offense. Garbrandt lands a body kick. Garbrandt with a right hand. Jones lands a left hand and then hurts Garbrandt with a right hand. They clinch but break. Jones lands a left hand. They clinch. Jones gets a takedown. Jones ends the fight on top landing. 10-9 Jones, 29-28 Garbrandt.
Official Result- Cody Garbrandt def. Trevin Jones by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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> Middleweights- Bo Nickal (3-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Jamie Pickett (13-8, 2-4 UFC)
Nickal slips on a kick but is able to grab Pickett and push him against the fence. Nickal lands a couple of knees the grabs the neck as they go down. Nickal takes the back ad is looking for a choke. Pickett gets out of that but Nickal now looking for an arm-triangle choke. Nickal had it in tight but is easing on the pressure. Nickal now tightening the choke. Pickett ends up tapping. What a thrashing by Nickal.
Official Result- Bo Nickal def. Jamie Pickett by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:54 of Round 1
They trade kicks. Gamrot lands a left hand and Turner returns fire. Gamrot with a leg kick. Gamrot with a leg kick. Gamrot scores a takedown. Turner is trying to work his way to the fence. They get to the fence and to their feet. Turner lands a knee then a body kick as they break. Turner drops Gamrot with a punch and they go to the mat and Gamrot gets in the half-guard of Turner and lands from the top. Gamrot lands right hands as they get to their feet against the fence. 10-9 Turner.
Gamrot lands a right hand to the body. Turner with a body kick. Gamrot with a leg kick. Turner with a high kick. Gamrot lands a right hand and then another leg kick. Gamrot lands a left hand then circles away. Gamrot tries a takedown but Turner lands a punch. Gamrot lands a right hand then Turner rocks Gamrot with a right hand. Gamrot shoots for a takedown but Turner defends. Turner with a body kick and is now chasing Gamrot around the cage. Gamrot gets a takedown. He’s working in the half-guard of Turner. Gamrot gets the crucifix position for a moment and lands before Turner regains the half-guard. Gamrot has the crucifix position and is landing punches. 10-9 Gamrot, 19-19.
Gamrot lands a combo as Turner landed a leg kick. Gamrot scores the takedown. They get to their feet and Gamrot gets it down briefly before they stand and are clinched against the fence. Gamrot holding on and they are separated by Mark Smith. That wasn’t a good separation. Turner with a high kick. Turner lands a combo and Gamrot gets a brief takedown but Turner sprawls to his feet. Turner with a body kick. Gamrot grabs a single leg looking for the takedown. Turner lands a jumping knee but Gamrot holds position. Gamrot gets it down and is in full mount and lands as the fight ends. Close fight. 10-9 Gamrot, 29-28 Gamrot.
Official Result- Mateusz Gamrot def. Jalin Turner by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Rakhmonov with a head kick but Neal blocks it and they clinch. Rakhmonov lands a knee as they separate. Neal lands a right hand. They trade and Neal lands a left hand. Rakhmonov lands a combo. They trade inside the pocket and Rakhmonov landed better. They break and both are landing punches. Rakhmonov with a nice right hand. Neal lands a left hand. They trade body kicks. Rakhmonov with a right to the body. Neal with a nice right hand. Rakhmonov with a head kick and then lands a knee to the body. They clinch and Rakhmonov with some knees. Rakhmonov lands a right hand. Rakhmonov with more right hands and a knee to the body. Neal lands a left hand. 10-9 Rakhmonov.
They clinch early and Rakhmonov lands a little bit. Neal lands a combo. Rakhmonov with a right hand. Rakhmonov landing the jab. Neal lands a combo inside the pocket and rocks Rakhmonov with a left hand. Rakhmonov with a couple of uppercuts. Neal lands a combo. Rakhmonov with a combo. Rakhmonov with a body kick. Neal lands a right hand and follows it with a combo. They trade inside the pocket. Rakhmonov gets the edge every time they clinch. Rakhmonov lands a right hand. Neal lands late. 10-9 Rakhmonov, 20-18 Rakhmonov.
Rakhmonov with a high kick then another and a knee to the body. Rakhmonov misses a wheel kick and they trade in close. Neal rocks Rakhmonov with a combo. Rakhmonov is hurt and he tries for a takedown but Neal breaks away and lands a left hand. Rakhmonov lands a jab. Rakhmonov goes for a takedown and pushes it against the fence. Neal lands an uppercut. Rakhmonov with a knee. He lands another as they separate. Rakhmonov rocks Neal with a right hand. Rakhmonov lands a knee that hurts Neal as well. Rakhmonov pouring it on with shots against the fence. Rakhmonov with more knees. Rakhmonov looking for the back and has a standing rear-naked choke locked in and Neal goes out! What a fight and what a finish by Rakhmonov.
Official Result- Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Geoff Neal by submission (standing rear-naked choke) at 4:17 of Round 3
> UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship- C Valentina Shevchenko (23-3, 12-2 UFC) vs. #6 Alexa Grasso (15-3, 7-3 UFC)
Shevchenko with a leg kick. Grasso with a leg kick. Shevchenko lands a left hand. Shevchenko with a spinning back fist followed by a body kick. Shevchenko with an inside leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Grasso lands a left hand. They trade combos. Shevchenko lands a jab. Grasso rocks Shevchenko with a combo. Shevchenko with a high kick. Shevchenko lands an elbow. Shevchenko lands a left hand and then a body kick. Grasso gets a brief takedown late and they stand and clinch against the fence with Grasso landing knees. Close round. 10-9 Grasso.
Shevchenko gets a takedown. Grasso being active from the bottom as Shevchenko is trying to get inside her guard. She gets inside and starts landing from the top. Shevchenko slides into side control and is looking to set up the crucifix position. She has it now and Grasso is trying to escape. Grasso did get her arm out. Grasso scrambles out and they stand and both land as they break. They trade leg kicks. Grasso misses some big swings. Grasso with a combination. Shevchenko gets the takedown. Shevchenko lands to the body. Grasso landing to the body from the bottom. 10-9 Shevchenko, 19-19.
Grasso with some short leg kicks. Shevchenko lands a jab. They both land solid shots in an exchange. Grasso lands a solid combo. Shevchenko ducks under a Grasso right hand and scores the takedown. Both working on the ground as Shevchenko is keeping control from the top and landing with more volume. Shevchenko with a few right hands from the top and they are stood up by Jason Herzog. That is met with boos from the crowd. Shevchenko gets another takedown and Grasso landed an illegal kick. Shevchenko gets the back and is landing left hands. Grasso with a late guillotine attempt. 10-9 Shevchenko, 29-28 Shevchenko.
Shevchenko shoots for a takedown after a patient opening to the round, but Grasso defends. Shevchenko lands a combo. Grasso tries to come in and Shevchenko grabs her and lands a body kick. Shevchenko tries a takedown but Grasso snuffs it out. Grasso tries a takedown and pushes it against the fence. They break. Shevchenko with the jab. She lands another. Shevchenko with a combo. Shevchenko tried a spin kick and Grasso jumped on the back and dragged it down and has a choke locked in. Shevchenko is defending. Shevchenko taps! Oh my god! Grasso has pulled the upset to become the new champion.
Official Result- Alexa Grasso def. Valentina Shevchenko by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:34 of Round 4 to win the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship
> UFC Heavyweight Championship- Jon Jones (26-1 1 NC, 20-1 1 NC UFC) vs. #1 Ciryl Gane (11-1, 8-1 UFC)
We have an immediate groin strike on a kick by Gane. They get started and Jones with a left hand and then a right hand. Jones pressing forward as he lands a leg kick. Jones gets the back and scores a takedown. Jones has the back as Gane is trying to stand and keeps it down. Jones attacking the neck. Jones gets the guillotine choke locked in and Gane taps! Jones made that look easy as he becomes the new heavyweight champion in his return.
Official Result- Jon Jones def. Ciryl Gane by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:04 of Round 1 to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including an update on Superstar Billy Graham, Roman vs. Sami on the road, AEW and NXT previews for this week, Revolution, ratings, Jon Jones returns to UFC, RAW report, Ring of Honor taping spoilers at the end of the show and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: Superstar Billy Graham & wife have COVID, Roman Reigns is working a house show
3:27: NXT and AEW Dynamite previews, AEW Revolution card rundown
11:47: Ratings
15:18: UFC 285 this weekend
23:23: Jake Paul lost, Powerslap PPV moved, Chael Sonnen on Ariel Helwani
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the latest on Vince McMahon getting his hand back into the WWE pot, the talent meeting on Friday and what HHH said, notes from the Impact PPV including the women headlining, Jon Jones, Rampage, Smackdown, tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon in March and will do so in a fight for the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship.
Announced by Dana White following Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event, Jones will take on former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane at March’s UFC 285 in Las Vegas.
Francis Ngannou, the reigning heavyweight champion, is now a free agent after a long dispute with the company over a new contract. White claimed they offered him a deal that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight in the company, but they could not come to terms. He said they would release him from his contract and waive their option to match other offers.
Dana White announces Francis Ngannou's release from the UFC.
"We offered Francis a deal that would've made him the highest paid heavyweight in the history of the company, more than [Brock] Lesnar, more than anybody."
Ngannou last fought in January 2022 in a win over Gane to unify the titles. He then had knee surgery that kept him out of action the entire year. He has talked about boxing previously in hopes of bigger paydays.
The 35-year-old Jones hasn’t fought since a controversial February 2020 unanimous decision win over Dominick Reyes to retain his title. Since then, he had his own disputes with the company over money, but White said Jones has signed a new eight-fight contract.
Jones had talked about moving up to heavyweight frequently and now weighs a reported 255 pounds. He has only been defeated once in a 28-fight career with the one defeat coming in an odd 2009 disqualification loss vs. Matt Hamill.
Gane comes into the fight with an 11-1 record with the one loss to Ngannou. He last competed in September 2022 and defeated Tai Tuivasa by third round knockout.
While Jones hasn’t made news inside the cage in nearly three years, he has made plenty outside it.
Since he last fought, Jones, who has run afoul of both the law and USADA several times, has been in trouble with the law twice, once in New Mexico in March 2020 for aggravated DWI, possession of a firearm and other charges and again in September 2021 in a more visible case in Las Vegas for domestic battery with his now-ex fiance that was later dropped. That also included him being arrested and banging his head against a police car and challenging officers to a fight.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has struck a plea deal with Nevada that saw domestic violence charges against him dropped along with a warning to stay out of trouble.
The 34-year-old pleaded no contest to charges of injuring or tampering with a vehicle on September 24th, the same night Las Vegas police were called to Caesars Palace on a domestic disturbance call involving Jones and longtime fiancee Jessie Moses. He was charged with domestic battery and felony injuring or disabling a vehicle that night.
Jones pled guilty to destroying the property of another with a value of between $25-$250. He must pay $750 in restitution to the victim of the property damage and attend anger management counseling. He also must “stay out of trouble” according to the misdemeanor sentence. The domestic battery charge was officially dismissed.
As the police report goes, they were called that night after Moses and one of the couple’s children came down the hotel lobby and asked for another room key at 4:30 AM local time. She was bleeding from the nose and mouth and said she was scared to return to her room. The security guard said her son asked him to call the police. When they got to the room, Moses said Jones hadn’t got “too physical” with her but touched the back of her head and pulled her hair to prevent her from leaving the hotel room. She had a swollen bloody lip, a mark on her cheek and blood on her sweatshirt and sheets. She refused to have pictures taken of the injuries.
Police spotted Jones walking near the hotel and alleged he became “irate,” smashing his head into the patrol car and going through “an emotional roller coaster” that included openly questioning how many of the cops he could fight at once and teasing he would do it before being threatened by a Taser.
Since the arrest, he said he was going to stop drinking. He and Moses remain engaged.
Jones was in town that night as his fight with Alexander Gustafsson was inducted into the company’s Hall of Fame. He hasn’t fought since February 2020 and unsuccessfully has attempted to negotiate a fight against heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou this year. He is no longer with JacksonWink MMA as he was banned from the facility.
Jones has been no stranger to run-ins with the law that includes a 2012 DUI conviction, a 2015 hit and run conviction, a 2019 battery conviction, and a 2021 DWI conviction. That doesn’t include three failed USADA drug tests.
In a tweet responding to Jon Jones, Jake Hager wrote that the contract for their grappling match hasn’t been signed yet: “First of all it’s @AEWonTNT and undefeated @BellatorMMA heavyweight Jake Hager, secondly no terms have been discussed or contract signed. We can talk if terms are right.”
*********
UFC star Jon Jones is set for a grappling match against a member of the AEW roster.
“Breaking News!! I’m excited to announce I’ll be competing for the number one grappling organization in the world, Fury Grappling! December 9th I’ll be in New Jersey competing against WWE superstar and undefeated Bellator heavyweight Jack swagger,” Jones tweeted.
When someone responded pointing out that Hager is no longer in WWE and doesn’t use the name Jack Swagger anymore, Jones wrote: “Thanks, yeah I just found out today. Don’t really know much about him yet”
FURY Professional Grappling was launched by MMA promotion Cage Fury Fighting Championships earlier this year. The promotion’s grappling and MMA shows air on UFC Fight Pass.
This September, Jones was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with misdemeanor battery domestic violence and injuring or tampering with a vehicle.
Jones’ most recent UFC fight was in February 2020.
Hager and his Inner Circle stablemates (Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Santana & Ortiz) defeated Men of the Year (Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page) & American Top Team (Junior dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski & Dan Lambert) in a Minneapolis Street Fight at AEW Full Gear last Saturday.
In four fights for Bellator, Hager has three wins and one no contest. He last fought in October 2020, defeating Brandon Calton by split decision.
Dave Meltzer and I are back with Wrestling Observer Radio.
We go over night one of the WWE Draft from SmackDown and talk about who switched brands. We talk about the SmackDown show itself and the build up to the Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns match at Crown Jewel. We discuss the AEW Dynamite ratings from Wednesday night and then quickly discuss the highlights from AEW Rampage.
Dave goes into some analysis of ticket sales for both companies. We talk more about the Jon Jones situation, very slightly about the UFC main event from tonight, and then go over what matches Dave’s watched during the G-1 of late.
We then talk about one of the main stories from the current WON issue about the Snowman and finish up talking about Muhammad Ali.
Image: TMZ | This story was updated at 10:15 PM Eastern.
Some disturbing alleged details emerged Tuesday regarding former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ arrest last Friday for battery domestic violence and injuring or tampering with a vehicle.
TMZ and ESPN reported that from the Las Vegas Metro police department report, police were called to Caesars Palace just after 5 AM local time for a “domestic disturbance” in a hotel room involving a woman bleeding from her nose and mouth and a male who was a pro MMA fighter.
It was later learned it was a hotel security person who called after Jones’ fiancee and mother to his three children, Jesse, came down to the lobby and asked for another room key at 4:30 AM local time. They observed blood and asked if she was ok. She began to cry and “said she was scared to return to her room.” The guard claims their youngest child asked him to call the police.
Police spotted Jones walking near the hotel when they arrived and detained him. They allege he “became irate and smashed his head onto the front hood of the LVMPD patrol vehicle” which left a dent and chipped the paint. They said that Jones then went through “an emotional roller coaster,” crying when he was first handcuffed and then threatening to sue the department for doing this “on the biggest night of his life.”
He later joked about wanting to fight all of the police to see how many he could take on at once, even pretending he was going to do just that. After being threatened with a Taser if he kept threatening to do that, he apologized.
Police later interviewed Jones’ fiancee who said he came back to the room after being out with friends following his induction of his fight with Alexander Gustafsson into the UFC Hall of Fame.
She said she was sleeping when he came back and he was not happy. When asked if he got physical with her, she said “not too physical, but a little bit, yeah.” She said he touched the back of her head and pulled her hair to prevent her from leaving the room, but didn’t hit her. They observed her swollen, bloody lip and a red mark on her cheek and she said it was because they were dry. However, they observed blood on her sweatshirt and the hotel room sheets.
She did not allow photos to be taken of her, a voluntary statement or any recording.
Jones was released on $8000 bail and is due back in court on October 26th. This is his fifth reported incident with the law since 2012 and his third in the last three years. He hasn’t fought since February 2020.
When asked about the arrest prior to UFC 266, Dana White said it’s not even shocking anymore when these things happen to Jones in Las Vegas and that he has a lot of demons. He deferred to seeing how the situation played out legally before making any decisions.
Jones posted a picture of himself on Instagram Tuesday doing a bench press with several phrases overlaid on top like “I have way too much trauma to consume alcohol,” “My brain simply can’t handle it anymore” and “I will leave alcohol in my past forever.”
Dave Meltzer and I are back with Wrestling Observer Radio.
We talk about the latest with Jon Jones and then discuss UFC 266 from Saturday Night. We go over the AEW Dynamite ratings and talk about Friday’s Rampage show.
We dig into the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and talk about Dave’s story on WrestleMania in Dallas as well as the booking of last Monday’s RAW.
We look at night three of the G1, the furvor over star ratings, the STARDOM 5 STAR GP, Kanyon, and the WON HOF.
Timestamps:
Start: Jon Jones arrested, Nick Diaz returns
11:50: UFC 266 rundown
31:02: AEW Dynamite ratings
40:10: Rampage thoughts (includes NJPW taping spoilers), Moxley appears on Defy
44:52: WrestleMania 38 plans being discussed, plans from last week’s Raw
49:39: Extreme Rules preview
53:40: The latest on G1
47:30: Stardom 5 Star GP winner
58:31: People mad at star ratings, Danielson interview thoughts
1:07:28: Chris Kanyon Dark Side of the Ring
1:11:48: Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame, reflecting on this week’s Grand Slam event
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is once again in trouble with the law.
Jones was arrested at 5:45 AM Friday morning at a resort by Las Vegas police and is being charged with misdemeanor battery domestic violence and injuring or tampering with a vehicle. His bail is set at a total of $8000 and he is scheduled to make a court appearance Saturday morning after a 12-hour hold.
As of this point, no details are available other than his inmate report with the charges.
Jones was last in trouble with the law in March 2020, agreeing to a plea deal after being charged with aggravated DWI, possession of an open container, driving without proof of insurance, and a firearm charge. That followed a 2012 DUI charge, a 2015 incident where he fled the scene of an accident that injured a pregnant woman. and a late-2019 disorderly conduct charge.
The 34-year-old was in town as his first fight with Alexander Gustafsson was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Thursday night. He has not fought since taking a split decision win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February 2020 in the last defense of his light heavyweight title before relinquishing it.
He has said that he is moving up to heavyweight, but has not been able to come to financial terms with the UFC on a much-discussed fight with heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
We’ve got a huge issue of the Observer this week with a lot of business notes, polls on the biggest shows of the last week, Match of the Week, Performer of the Week, New Japan Cup polls, several bios and updates on the biggest shows.
With WrestleMania upcoming, we run down the show, why certain matches have changed, update on the WWE COVID situation including who was ad wasn’t back, WrestleMana ticket sales updates and the demand, a look at both NXT Takeover shows, the WWE’s new location for filming starting on 4/12, as well as UFC tickets sales for its first show and the current level of demand for tickets for both events.
Also in this issue:
More info on the WWE Network migration to Peacock, what is being edited off and why, the release of Andrade and more background on him, Glenn Jacobs and the Knox County mayor situation, update on Samantha Tavel lawsuit against Matt Riddle, Lots of Hall of Fame news and bios, announcer will no longer appear on TV, Stephanie McMahon talks WWE without Vince McMahon, how wrestling shows ranked among the sports shows this past week, what was planned to happen with the U.S. title this year and why it didn’t happen, Daniel Bryan talks his future, his philosophy on wrestling, who he wants to wrestle with lots of surprises, his current schedule, Randy Orton talks his career, WWE gets new television deal, WWE legend puts home for sale, new WWE video game news, WWE documentary notes, injury updates and WWE stock price update.
A study done in Oslo, Norway which links steroid use to the aging of the brain and previous notes on things that could corroborate that regarding concussion recovery. We also give a background of when steroid use started in sports and how it got started in the U.S.
Fast Lane show, including a unique look in a number of different metro areas between the interest level in Fast Lane, one of WWE’s weakest shows in years for interest, and Revolution, which two weeks earlier set AEW’s PPV record, match-by-match coverage of the show with star ratings and poll results.
New Japan Cup coverage, New Japan Cup match-by-match rankings, star ratings and poll results, why the Bea Priestley angle went down, notes on double standards and why these double standards exist with some of the fan base, who was the New Japan Cup MVP and best performer, as well as the first time an earthquake caused a wrestling match to stop in the middle for 25 minutes, where New Japan goes from here with the big shows in April and May, as well as this week’s show.
Impact moving to Thursday.
A major feature on the life of Barry Orton, his claims that got him on TV in 1992 on Donahue, Geraldo, Larry King and other shows, his thoughts looking back, how he met Mike Tenay and his impact on Mike Tenay’s career and wrestling knowledge, what Orton said under oath and the lie detector test he took, the times Vince McMahon confronted him, as well as Orton sending Vince McMahon a letter with his idea of having a rock & roll gimmick.
Barry Orton on the Donahue show, Tom Cole and Orton, stuff that was and wasn’t taken out of context, Orton’s career ending, life after wrestling, his Calgary run as The Zodiac and where it came from and why it ended, and how his career started.
This past week’s UFC show, the star that filed, where the winners are headed, the age-old weight cutting problem, how the show did in different deos and fight-by-fight coverage.
A story on the death of Ed Farhat Jr., the son of The Sheik. We look at his days as Captain Eddie George as well as his attempts to follow his father in promoting wrestling in Michigan. We look at the heyday of The Sheik, the movie “I Like To Hurt People” that Ed Jr., had a role in, the end of the heyday period and more.
More detail on ratings than any other source, we have how every segment on NXT and AEW did as well as how it did with different age groups, genders and more, plus a look at all other wrestling shows of the past week.
Results of the major pro wrestling events of the past week.
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MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw, ROH PPV, Jon Jones and a number of other subjects with Wrestling Observer Radio. You can send questions to the show to [email protected]
Antonio Inoki did a YouTube video today where he said, “There’s a part of me that feels like giving up. It’s enough. Please let me rest.” It should be noted there are other scenes in the video where he is more optimistic.
Jon Jones said that he’s supposed to be getting a fight proposal from UFC next week. Dana White is doing an amazing job this week because it’s not very easy to make Jones a universal babyface, and White inadvertently has managed to accomplish this. Jones earlier today made and deleted a Tweet asking for them to release him. Now he’s written, “Fingers are crossed, this is an opportunity of a lifetime for everyone involved.”
We are doing weekend polls on UFC 260 and ROH 19th Anniversary show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for each show to [email protected]
WWE officials have noted to us that WrestleMania both nights will start at 8 p.m., and not the 7 p.m. start time most PPVs start at. It will also be available on PPV at different price points ranging from $59.99 to $70.
Speaking of weekend PPV shows, if anyone has a way of seeing the Volador Jr. vs. Bandido match from Friday night, let me know about it. I try to list the match of the week and I have a feeling that one could, if not be it, be in the running.
I’m surprised at the lack of mainstream reaction to Logan Paul to Smackdown on Friday. Still no word on his role in the Owens vs Zayn match at WrestleMania past that’s he’s part of the plan. It probably will get a lot in the days leading up to the show, or if he does a strong angle on Friday.
Charlotte Flair returns tonight to Raw. Or at least she’s in St. Petersburg today and healthy. Riddle vs. Sheamus in a non-title match has also been advertised.
Gable Steveson (heavyweight) and Spencer Lee (125) were co-winners of the 2021 Hodge Trophy. Both were undefeated NCAA champions. Steveson’s brother is with WWE already and he’s expected to follow. The Olympic trials take place this coming weekend. Sevenson and Nick Gwiazdowski (who in the past has said he was headed to WWE later) are probably the top candidates at 286 pounds.
A&E and WWE have announced free outdoor screenings of their documentaries at drive-ins in Houston, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Memphis, Detroit and Philadelphia. A&E has finished eight two-hour shows on Steve Austin, Randy Savage, Roddy Piper, Booker T, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Mick Foley and Ultimate Warrior which start on television on 4/18. The drive-in movies will be Booker T and Austin. The Booker T one screens at the Moonstruck Drive-In in Houston 4/6, the Malco Summer Drive-In in Memphis on 4/12 and The Springs Cinema & Taphouse in Atlanta on 4/15. The Austin feature will be 4/13 in Detroit at the Ford-Wyoming Drive-in, 4/14 in Indianapolis at the Center Brook Drive-in, and 4/17 in Philadelphia at the Parking Lot Theaters.
Bellator returns to action after months off with a card on Showtime on Friday night at 9 p.m. Eastern headlined by Patricio Pitbull Freire defending the featherweight title against Emmanuel Sanchez, which is also part of the company’s featherweight Grand Prix tournament.
New Japan runs Korakuen Hall with another 5:30 a.m. Eastern time show tomorrow:
Tesuya Naito & Shingo Takagi & Bushi & Sanada vs. Yuya Uemura & Yota Tsuji & Gabriel Kidd & Tiger Mask
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomoaki Honma & Satoshi Kojima vs. Jay White & Gedo & Jado
Will Ospeary & Jeff Cobb & Great O’Khan vs. Kota Ibushi & Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
It’s 2021 and Takagi is in the opener and Tenzan is in the main event, and that’s not the only time this week that has happened.
WWE
The show “Wipeout” starring John Cena and Nicole Byer that has been advertised heavily on AEW debuts on Thursday night on TBS as a new weekly series.
Buddy Murphy, whose 2021 year has consisted of two matches even though he’s one of the best in-ring guys in the company and I know several people who think he’s one of the best in the world, wrote today to Aleister Black about wanting to steal the show at WrestleMania.
The Guardian reported that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has now spent more than $1.5 billion on sportswashing, noting the WWE shows as part of that figure.
AEW
AEW put tickets on sale for 4/7 and 4/9 this morning. The 4/7 tickets are ahead of normal pace but not much head. The 4/9 tickets are not sold out and the show will sell out.
Dark tomorrow night has:
Joey Janela vs. Chandler Hopkins
5 & 10 vs. D3 & Vary Morales
Billy & Austin & Colten Gunn vs Rex Lawless & Milk Chocolate
Ryo Mizunami vs. KiLynn King
Penelope Ford vs. Leila Gray
Scorpio Sky vs. Mike Sydal
Thunder Rosa vs. Alex Gracia
Ethan Page vs. Fuego del Sol
Frankie Kazarian vs. Danny Limelight
Leyla Hirsch vs. Vipress
Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy vs. Ryan Nemeth & JD Drake
Jon Moxley vs. Bill Collier
Hikaru Shida & Tay Conti vs. Jazmin Allure & Tesha Price
TMZ reported that Chris Jericho donated $2,500 to the family of the slain Uber Eats driver, 66-year-old Mohammd Anwar, who was killed during a carjacking last week. Police believe two girls, 13 and 15, shot him with a taser in an attempt to steal his car. The girls crashed the car and it flipped over and Anwar was killed. Jericho said, “I just thought the whole situation was terrible and it really hit me hard. It’s not much, but it’s the most I could do to try and bring some light into a dark situation.” Both girls have been charged with felony murder and armed carjacking.
Paul Wight has a full page ad in the latest Dental Products Report magazine (thanks to Mike Lano)
OTHER NOTES
Ethel DiPaolo, the widow of Ilio DiPaolo, Buffalo’s most popular wrestler of the 50s and 60s passed away at the age of 88. Ilio was an iconic local character as this story in the Buffalo News notes, (thanks to Alex Marvez)
Innovate Wrestling from Saturday night in Kingsport, TN: Chris Richard won over JC Addams Tyler Thorn, Jeff Connelly, Josh Strong and Tyler Foshie, Chance Rizer b James Johnson, RT 3 b Sultan of Dubai, Cross Brothers b Heatseekers to win US tag titles, Axton Ray b Caleb Courageous, Toby Farley b Jordan Kage to win US title, Chase Owens b Gustavo Aguilar. The next show is 5/29 in Kingsport at the Civic Center.
The Pope vs. Fred Rosser for the TV title headlines NWA Powerrrr on Fite TV tomorrow night.
The final Tuesday night episode of Impact is tomorrow:
Eric Young vs. James Storm – This is the match where Young tore his ACL
Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz vs. Havok & Nevaeh non-title
Ace Austin & Mad Man Fulton vs. TJP & Josh Alexander
Kenny Omega will be on the show
AXS airs the 2012 Bound for Glory show tomorrow at 3 p.m. Eastern which was headlined by Austin Aries vs. Jeff Hardy and Sting & Bully Ray vs. Aces and Eights. I believe this was the show in San Antonio, and if it was, it was the largest North American crowd the promotion ever drew (6,700).
Impact will be doing a virtual fanfest on 4/25 at 11 a.m. Eastern for two hours before the PPV with Rich Swann, Deonna Purrazzo, Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Kiera Hogan, Tasha Steelz and Ace Austin.
FWA from yesterday in Sydney, Australia: Donnie Mako & CJ Phoenix b Buccaneer & Rochelle Rouge and Tyson Reed & Ben Braxton, Sam Osboure b Fox, Tyler Gunn over Mat Gauge, Josh Gatt, Lee Morrow and Matthias Clock, Parker Thomas b AJ to keep the Mercury title, Xena b Aysha to keep the women’s title, Jey Dewhurt b Kellyanne, JXT b 5 Star Flash, Cesar b Massive Q-DQ, Big Fudge won over Ricky South and Backman to win the FWA heavyweight title (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
Melbourne City Wrestling on 4/10 headlined by Adam Brookes vs.; Danny Psycho and Kellyanne vs Avary.
Wrestlerock on 4/1 in Melbourne. They also have a 5/15 show at the Moon Dog Brewery
Australian Wrestling Superstars on 4/10 in Sydney with Robbie Eagles vs. Lee Morrow
AAW returns Friday night on Twitch from the Galli Studios in Villa Park, IL with Mance Warner vs. Manders for the AAW title plus Hakim Zane, Ace Austin, Fred Yehi, Matt Justice, Davey Vega, Gringo Loco, Hyan, ACH, Travis Titan,Skye Blue,Ace Perry, Brayden Lee, Myron Reed Ray Lyn, Gary Jay, Allie Kat, Joe Asa,Dante Leon and John E Bravo.
Tom Lawlor vs Lord Crewe headlines the UWFI Rules Contender series on Wednesday night on IWTV. Crewe is billed as a Bare Knuckle fighter out of Ohio. Cole Radrick vs. Yoya as well.
